5 reasons why humanity should stop developing AI and 5 reasons we won't.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been one of the most revolutionary technological developments in recent times. From self-driving cars to virtual assistants, AI is rapidly changing the way we live, work and play.?However, as with any technology, there are pros and cons to its development. ?

In this article, I’d like to give my view on the top five reasons why humanity should stop developing AI - and the top five reasons why humanity won’t.? I’ll wrap up with some of my personal thoughts and observations at the end.

Why Humanity Should Stop Developing AI

1. Loss of Jobs: ?Ok, I’ll get this one out of the way first – and I know saying this carries the risk of sounding very “non-progressive”.?After all, technology has a long and illustrious history of making certain jobs unnecessary and redundant, and that isn’t always a bad thing.?To the contrary, it is often necessary for the progression of humanity.?However, AI has the potential to automate a HUGE number of jobs that are currently performed by humans all over the world – particularly the kinds of entry-level jobs that are often an important stepping stone for a young human looking to build their career experience and life trajectory.?The loss of these jobs might not just result in mass unemployment in some industries but remove a valuable learning career phase for future generations.?At the very least, we should consider how we will educate people to become senior engineers and developers for example, if there are no junior positions left for them to start out with.?Or perhaps AI just takes the entire career runway and snips it off at the root for human involvement??Is that really what we want??No seasoned, experienced human oversight at the top of the tree??
2. Dependency on AI: ?As AI becomes more advanced, we risk becoming increasingly dependent on it. This often happens as technology advances – we increasingly rely upon it, and for increasingly important things.?Many people feel naked without their mobile phone and can’t fully function without it – a device that didn’t exist just several generations ago.?As AI becomes increasingly competent and we make it responsible for more and more mission critical tasks, we run the risk of being vulnerable to things like system failures and cyber-attacks.?We’ve all experienced the disappointment of being let down by a system or person that we depend on – let’s not be so na?ve to imagine that AI will never fail us.?So, do we really want to become dependant on it????
3. Lack of Control: ?AI is a complex system that unlike traditional computer code is “organically” created, and it is therefore difficult to control what it learns or how it behaves.?Already, AI’s are doing things that surprise even the creators of it. ?This could lead to unintended consequences, including unethical behavior or even harm to humans.?I’ve been reflecting recently on some of the science fiction from legendary author Isaac Asimov that I grew up reading as a young man.?Asimov invented the term “robotics” and in his “Robot series” imagined a future where robots had “positronic”, artificially intelligent brains that exceeded the intelligence and processing capacity of human brains. ?In Asimov’s science fiction, humans developed these robots as tools, to help progress human endeavour.?To control them, mankind agreed on 3 “laws of robotics” that were to be universally applied to any robot manufactured for any purpose.?The First Law was that a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.?The Second Law was that a robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.?The Third Law was that a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection did not conflict with the First or Second Law. ?Today, AI is being developed with no such controls in place, with no legislation to prevent the misuse of such technology.?What is even more concerning is that for any legislation to be effective it would have to be globally agreed – or AI developers could simply shift to a geography with no legislation in place.?Securing effective global agreement on AI legislation will be extremely challenging.
4. Bias: AI algorithms today are only as unbiased as the data they are trained on. If this data is biased, the AI will be too. This could result in discrimination against certain groups or individuals.?It could also stifle innovative thinking, as AI today largely uses existing knowledge and ideas to formulate responses and content.?Is this really going to help us move forward, or is it going to prevent progress, serving up regurgitated ideas and sacrificing original thought on the altar of speed and convenience??
5. The Existential Risk: ?This is the big one.?AI has the potential to become super intelligent, effectively sentient, and pose an existential risk to humanity. ?Without a moral compass, rules or a clear framework to operate within, AI could cause harm to humans unintentionally or even intentionally, if it believes that it is in its best interest to do so.?It could also be used (and arguably already is) to create sophisticated programmes of fraud, deception, and malevolent control.?We could find our digital world transformed into a place where we cannot believe or trust anything we read or see – and that would be hugely damaging to our digital way of life.?

Why Humanity Won't Stop Developing AI

1. Innovation: ?AI is at the forefront of technological innovation, and there is a huge potential for new breakthroughs in healthcare, transportation, and other industries.?AI has huge potential to tackle problems that humans alone are struggling to solve – and faster.?Medical breakthroughs alone could mean that our life-spans are extended, our quality of life is improved and the costs associated with medical research and development could be reduced.?In the same way that we’ve seen digital disruption drive huge efficiencies and opportunities into almost every industry over the last 20 years, innovation with AI has the potential to do the same again – only more so.?Which leads on to…
2. Efficiency: ?AI has the potential to massively increase efficiency and productivity, making businesses and industries more competitive and profitable.?As we all know, any business that ignores the opportunity to operate more efficiently will run the risk of being left behind by competitors who don’t.?
3. Safety: ?AI can be used to detect and prevent accidents, disasters, and even crime, making the world a safer place.?This is the flip side to the argument around dependency on AI – we already rely on digital systems, technology and tools to improve safety, so it’s a logical step to drive even more effectiveness into those models through the application of AI.?With the right applications, AI can save lives.
4. Scientific Research: ?AI can be used to simulate complex systems and models, which can lead to breakthroughs in scientific research.?This is where science fiction is becoming science fact – as humanity searches for clean energy, solutions to global warming, pandemic risks and other existential crisis, AI can provide a tremendous advantage in finding better answers faster.?In a world where technology and scientific leadership represents a tremendous advantage, it is unlikely that any country would be willing to ignore the potential benefits that AI can deliver here.
5. Economic Growth: ?AI is already a multi-billion dollar industry, and countries (and businesses) that lead in AI development stand to benefit greatly from economic growth and job creation.?We already live in the digital age and are transitioning from the mid-digital to the post-digital, where digital technology becomes ubiquitous – and AI is going to facilitate this shift.???

Don’t get me wrong – I’m no luddite.?I'm passionate and fascinated by the way that technology can solve problems and unlock opportunities. I’ve been captivated by the rise of AI for years and was particularly struck in 2018 at Dreamforce in San Francisco that almost every tech vendor there had an AI story.?It has been an obvious and emerging technology trend for years, and applications for it are tremendous, exciting and empowering.?

AI lets you do more – it lets you imagine, innovate and then gives you the capability to bring those ideas to life.?AI is a tremendous force-multiplier for small organizations who have traditionally been constrained in terms of the manpower they can recruit and the skill-sets they can afford to invest in.?The benefits and appeal of AI are undeniable, and I’m convinced that they are so compelling that we are now on this AI journey whether we like it or not.?

However, AI also comes with risks and challenges, and as we continue to develop AI it is important to consider the potential consequences and ensure that we use it ethically and responsibly. ?Ultimately, it is up to humanity to decide how to proceed with this groundbreaking technology, but the benefits of AI development cannot be ignored.?

And if you haven’t read Isaac Asimov’s “Robot series”, you really should.? Enjoy!